barrymccochener

For those that don’t feel like sorting through my pedantic rambling, feel free to skip to the end for a quick summary. Normally, I don’t like to post buzzed, but because of the short week don’t want to make you fence sitters wait too long. So, forgive the typos. Forgive the repetition. Forgive the feculence. Here’s my report, stream of conscience-like, uncensored (except by that damn Woot filter) and unedited. Deal with it. I are Labrat and thus do I spake:

Let me make one thing clear: when I asked (okay, begged) WD to make me a labrat, I never thought he’d do it. I mean, I’ve asked dozens of times before, and he never deemed me rat worthy. So, I did not make prior preparations. My pantry was bare.

Alas, when that beautiful package arrived on my desk, I knew I had to cut out of work early and get some grub in the house. In order to correctly labrat this bubbly, I knew a trip to the supermarket was in order. Since this was my first red sparkler, I didn’t know quite what to expect, so I decided to play it safe.

So, we’ll start with the menu:
Sautéed chicken breast in a garlic mushroom sauce. I deglazed the pan with some of the bubbly, as well as used it to finish the sauce just prior to removing from the heat.

Side dish was Onion and Rosemary Roasted red bliss potatoes.

When I got home, put the bubbly in the fridge immediately, and let it chill for 2 hours. Approximate serving temperature was 55 – 60 degrees. Since this was a red wine, I figured it would need to breathe a bit, so upon opening I promptly decanted and waited 2 hours.

Just kidding. I’m a kidder.

Color was a beautiful and surprising dark blackberry. Yes, I knew this was a red sparkler, but I was still expecting something more of a rose hue. You don’t want to spill this on the carpet (but if you do, make sure you blame the kids). The bubbles were not overpowering…just right. Enough to tickle, not enough to annoy.

Initial nose was that of Welch’s grape juice, but in a good way. It was a familiar scent. As my wife said “this would be really dangerous around children.” First sip for me was a fruit-forward burst of cassis and berries, with a dry tobacco finish. Assertive at first, but with a mellow, smooth end. My wife thought of bubbly Ocean Spray.

To Mrs. Stiff it seemed the perfect drink to serve at a bridal shower. I can’t relate.

Back to the wine. Always a sucker for Mumm, particularly the Cuvee M blue, I really enjoyed this. It was familiar to me, yet unexpected. Does that make sense? It will, when you taste it.

I tell you one thing, it sure made that mushroom sauce sing. Then again, I don’t usually use $30 wine when I cook…but since WD was paying, I figured…why not? (I used about 4 ounces total…just enough to lend flavor.) I’d do it again, even on my own dime.

The wine was a perfect complement to both the potatoes and the chicken. It cut the richness of the sauce. While I didn’t have any desert around, I was able to scrounge up a chocolate chip cookie. And you know what…it really paired well. Better than milk, even, and much more potent. Milk is for mortals. Sparkling wine…that’s what Labrats eat their cookies with. (Do not hate. Your jealousy only makes us stronger. We are Labrat.)

Other desserts I can see going with this wine include Strawberry shortcake, berries and ice cream, and, of course, anything chocolate. I liked the fact that this could make the journey from dinner to desert and not only stand up well to both courses, but complement all food pairings I tried.

Now, while I did not sample this with cheese, I really don’t see this as a good choice when looking to pair a wine with cheese. Well, maybe a baked brie with fruit, but that’s about it. Then again, I could be wrong. If WD wants to send me another bottle, I’ll gladly try it with cheese. It’s the least I could do.

At the moment, I have enough left for another glass and a half. I was going to wait until tomorrow to see how the bubbles hold up, but then realized that tomorrow will be too late…the deal will be gone. So now, 2 hours after opening, I will venture to the fridge and do a pour, in the name of science. Bottle was sealed with a standard wine topper…I did not pump the air out. Flavor is a bit more rounded, subdued, but that could be due to the fact that it is being served colder now than before. Regardless, I think I’ll need to finish the bottle tonight. I’ll wait another hour, and if still awake and alert, will post an updated bubble report.

For those of you who want to skip to the good stuff, and didn’t want to read the above (God knows I’m not gonna sit here and read through all that blabbering…once I write it, I’m done!), here’s a summary:

Color: Blackberry/Dark raspberry. Almost opaque.

Nose: Welchy, familiar, but in a good way.
Flavor profile: Sweet at first, with a smooth, dry finish. I taste cassis, berries, tobacco, and a slight cranberry tartness.

Overall score: On a scale of 1-10, I give it a solid 8.5.

Goes well with: Seemingly everything, from rich to sweet. Would definitely like to try with sushi. Do not think this would go well with cheese, but could be wrong.

Overall impressions: Fun, tasty, different yet familiar. It’s a great way to have red wine on a hot day. Would buy again. Good party wine, as long as you have scotch guard.

cheron98

kylemittskus wrote:The only labrat report Ive seen so far was terrible. "It tastes good." The end. Where are the rest of you?

You can always check the labrat thread for the consolidation of the reports (so you don't have to go waddling through the mess here). But so far, we've only had 2 reports filled in, both for the Cuvee M Red. 3 are outstanding, and there's a rat MIA somewhere... some lucky person has a golden ticket and a Cuvee M Blue sitting around for them somewhere.

cjsiege

My wootlegger hath called. The package hath arrived. It is chilling in her fridge. She didn't say which variety, so there will be much anticipation, surprise, and joy this evening. Will be a later report, since there is a journey involved. Hopefully by 9:30pm "real time" I will have a full report for all of the eager ones.

BoredStiff

cheron98 wrote:You can always check the labrat thread for the consolidation of the reports (so you don't have to go waddling through the mess here). But so far, we've only had 2 reports filled in, both for the Cuvee M Red. 3 are outstanding, and there's a rat MIA somewhere... some lucky person has a golden ticket and a Cuvee M Blue sitting around for them somewhere.

Not a labrat report, but will go on memory from the Cuvee M Blue, which I got last round and have purchased since:

Very light pink hue. Bubbles are small, active, pleasant. It is sweet, but not cloyingly so. No one will get this confused with an Asti Spumanti. Insanely drinkeable. I can down a bottle without realizing it.

While I imagine it would go well with most appetizers and desserts (though I can't imagine it with red meat), I prefer it on its own. Just me and the wine. Maybe some brie and crackers, or other soft ripe cheese.

This is one of my all time favorite sparklers (my absolute favorite being a Mumm variety from France, which I am still trying to track down (red and white label, I think, but not the prestige). Then again, I HATE Dom and am not a big fan of Perrier Joulet (way too dry for my tastes...I liken it to drinking sand.) So, YMMV.

In fact, on the last Mumm offering, I kept the Cuvee M blue for myself, and gifted the Brut Prestige bottles. Most people prefer the Prestige and see it as a "finer" or "better" gift. Me, I go for blue. Simple, easy to drink, well balanced. If theprice were $50 a bottle, I'd still buy it.

Imagine4vr

Last time we had a double offering of Mumm's was in December I believe? The second half week offering was a single magnum. Although like others have speculated it did not say the second offering would be wine or from Mumm.

The wannabe woot food tapenades and dipping oils would be my guess, and a definite buy. They were great!

jwhite6114

canonizer wrote:Have you thought about savings incorporating and estimated sales tax? Maybe this is a bad idea since we're supposed to be reporting out of state purchases.

If I had a way to share it so folks could choose their own variables then tax would be reasonable to work in (as would location-specific shipping, discount pricing, etc.). All could be worked in but then results get confusing to display (if you want to see comparison to NY tax, but with wine club discount, and shipping to CT, then check cell AB45: if you want ...). I am trying to keep it somewhat readable and still display the basic discount info.

I think you can download a copy to your own google docs directory and muck with formulas and stuff, there to tweak for your own local tax, etc. If you find a clever way to work something like this in, I am happy to "borrow" from you .

jwhite6114

Then you have successfully balanced the risk:reward ratio and properly shared your risk with someone else. I did not mean to imply they were always wrong, just that in general, like gambling, the house always wins. But the house win is across all those gamblers who pay for the warranty -- there will always be individuals who also win.

jwhite6114

Like many of the recent offers, these bubblies seem to be selling themselves. But I associate bubbly with celebrations and special occasions. I find it interesting that there are folks who seem to prefer bubbly to still for everyday drinking (or at least they have bubbly regularly).

So I am curious, do a lot of folks drink bubbly as a regular part of their wine consumption, or do most just reserve them for big events and special occasions?

No, seriously to answer the question: I go through phases. Last summer I was on a dry rosé (still wine) kick and tried every single one I could. I love Groth's Sauv Blanc. But I generally prefer my whites and rosés to have bubbles; it could also be that I have a "house" palate (been drinking the Kool Aid for too long).

Our winemaker has a signature that reads "Celebrate Life Everyday!" I guess for me, it became part of a lifestyle where we nearly always start out a gathering with a bottle of sparkling wine. A lot of it depends on what is seasonal and on the menu. During the winter I drink a lot more reds and stout. During the summer I drink lighter beer and more sparkling/Champagne.

pmarin

Had cooled to about 62 for serving -- probably not bad because I don't think you want to chill something like this too much -- it would be a waste. Served wife, brother-in-law, and I, in Spiegelau Champagne glasses.

I'll focus on their comments, because they are probably the most useful.

Wife: "I like this one. Doesn't want to make me pucker up."
B-i-l: "color is like a light gold." [Wife and B-i-l debated on whether it was light gold or white gold. Probably somewhere between the two. very nice pale yellow-gold in my opinion.]
[Me:] I think this was the "smoothest" Brut I have had. It wasn't sweet, and yet, there was some sweetness in the inital taste. It didn't have that feeling that many Brut sparkling give. I don't mind that feeling, but in this case it was clear that this was a plus for the other two, and I thought it was fine myself.

B-i-l: "I like the way the flavor goes away."
[Me:] This one took some more questioning. Is that good or bad? What does it mean? What this comes out as is an initial sweetness that magically disappears, without leaving either a sweet or bitter aftertaste. I guess you would call that a clean finish. I like it too, but never thought about it that way.
[Incidentally I taste cream, peach, vanilla, a lot of stuff going on, but never overpowering]

We talked about the small bubbles (OK, I have to admit I read the Mumm website and learned that you should look for lots of tiny rapidly developing and moving bubbles). I mentioned to my wife what I just learned about bubbles.
Her comments: "Flavor comes out, and slowly fizzes away. I like that."

Incidentally, I made up a plate of flavors to go with it -- olives, a variety of harder cheeses, proscuitto, orange pepper, some bread, and, even cucumber. I think this helped explore the flavors but it's clear this was a nice champagne, er, sparkling wine with or without accompaniment.

The other conclusion was that if you wanted to serve a really nice sparkling wine, even to people who were normally put off by the "puckeriness" of many fine ones, this is a great one. Well, the actual quote was "If you want to get hooked on good champagne..." So I guess we are hooked.

mydoppelganger

jwhite6114 wrote:So I am curious, do a lot of folks drink bubbly as a regular part of their wine consumption, or do most just reserve them for big events and special occasions?

I love bubbly! I drink more Perrier (3L so far this week) than anything except water. (I like that it is bubbly, but not sweet like soda.) I drink still wines, but I prefer bubbles. Per CT, just over 20% of my consumed bottles were sparkling. And yes, I have some Asti Spumante in the refrigerator.

thrawn1020

Hey, so I bought my first wine glass today, a red wine glass that has no brand marking except for an etching reading 'Oenophilia' on the base of the glass. I purchased it at my local wine superstore, and want to figure out what brand it is so if I want more, I can order them online and get them shipped.

I think I can authoritatively say that the labrat program adds value to my life, without ever receiving a bottle from the Fexex man. I was going inSANE this week looking out to make sure I was covered in the event that I got wine shipped to me early. Just the anticipation of it all reminds me a bit of Christmas morning back when we were all much younger, which was very cool. I ran around town trying to make sure I didn't miss a nonexistant shipment, and enjoyed myself immensely. Do I think I enjoyed myself quite as much as if I had actually gotten the wine from Mumm? No, probably not, but it was still highly enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the chance to have each and every one of these sparklers!

Not too many to count, but dang. This place has a way of building a cellar for you.

JOATMON

jwhite6114 wrote:Like many of the recent offers, these bubblies seem to be selling themselves. But I associate bubbly with celebrations and special occasions. I find it interesting that there are folks who seem to prefer bubbly to still for everyday drinking (or at least they have bubbly regularly).

So I am curious, do a lot of folks drink bubbly as a regular part of their wine consumption, or do most just reserve them for big events and special occasions?

Not Champaign, per se.

We suck down a lot of Domaine Chandon Brut and Blanc de Noir as an everyday drink.

thrawn1020

josettejoaquin wrote:I don't drink alcohol, but I wanted to try something different for my birthday coming up. Is this 3 pack worthwhile for an alcohol newbie?

By all the reviews out there, I would say the answer to that question is probably yes. These are quality bottles of sparkling wine, I think the Cuvee M Blue was the most expensive sparkler at the local grocery store. Not to mention that they are at a significant discount from their selling price in said grocery store, and that a bottle like the Cuvee M Red, if you can even find it, is a much rarer type of sparkler than your average Brut, and I think you have a fantastic introduction that shouldn't disappoint. I haven't had any of the Mumm wines before, but I wished I had bought the previous offer when I had some M & R Asti on New Years Eve that was inadequately chilled after sitting for too long in a ditch.

So, in short, Go for it! I doubt you will be disappointed!

Interesting side note: I found this prognostication for the wine industry in 50 years from Berry Brothers and Rudd, which even if they aren't quite who they seem, is an interesting read for certain.

http://www.ecademy.com/module.php?mod=club&t=807627

Not too many to count, but dang. This place has a way of building a cellar for you.

kkv123

jwhite6114 wrote:Like many of the recent offers, these bubblies seem to be selling themselves. But I associate bubbly with celebrations and special occasions. I find it interesting that there are folks who seem to prefer bubbly to still for everyday drinking (or at least they have bubbly regularly).

So I am curious, do a lot of folks drink bubbly as a regular part of their wine consumption, or do most just reserve them for big events and special occasions?

The fact that some people reserve bubbly only for special occasions is so difficult for me to comprehend. Although I enjoy both whites and reds alike, sparkling wine is my beverage of preference. Always!

All effervescence is terrific by the very fact of its existence, but amongst this treasure trove of goodness my palate has learned distinctions and craves accordingly. Some days I prefer the subtle "mousse" of a French champagne. Other days, I'm in the mood for a more robust 'Coca-Cola' bubble of a California sparkling wine. Big and yeasty to lightly tropical - consumed alone or with food - all have a time and place at my house.

Through all this trial and error tasting, one truth reigns supreme: bubbly from a magnum tastes better than bubbly from a bottle.

bunnymasseuse

Ok so I ran the blue Mumm through the remaining folks at my work before heading home, I will be opening the Brut then (as Mr. L is indisposed at the moment). (The Cuvee M was not my labrat bottle, but I opened it up last night and it's still going strong today, none of the tasters knew it had been open for atleast 12 hrs while being sealed).

Their tastes on the Blue are:
1. Sweet, but not syrupy sweet, likes it, thinks wife will like it (normally prefers white wines in general)
2. Sweet, tastes citrus, not heavy (normally a wine drinker, will drink red and whites and not choosey to one or the other)
3. Sweet, good, would drink this (not normally a wine drinker, will occasionally have a red with a steak or meat but does not normally drink it. I will not here that this person also enjoys (EDITED: DRINKING GUINNESS) (EDITED: AS DO I) from time to time).

Update: Taster 1 liked it so much the rest of the bottle is going home with him, and I'm heading home with the Brut to give it some tasting notes. Cuvee M right now is on the back of my throat giving me tingles of anticipation of tasting it's fellow offering! More later!!

cheron98

Alright, current reports have been packed. We are still missing the rats for the Cuvee M Blue, one of which I'm guessing is cjsiege, the other is as-yet unannounced, unless WD only sent the one out. However, we seem to have an abundance of "volunteer" reports on the Blue So I think at this point, all three have been represented. BunnyM is yet to report on the Brut, which we eagerly anticipate!!

ArcheDiver

At 0:dark thirty this morning I drove up north to the Sonoma Coast in order to attempt to capture the elusive red abalone. After a successful hunt I stopped by work to wash my wetsuit (fringe benefit of working at a dive shop, I can leave all my gear there to dry). Low and behold waiting for me on the work bench was my Mumm. Just in time too. Now i have gifts for both sets of parents, mine and the in-laws to be, when we all meet up next week. Hoorah!

bunnymasseuse

Ok, so having cleansed my palate from the Blue earlier, I've uncorked the Brut.

I'll mark my Better Half's remarks first:
Sweet, overly 'grapey' he says. I think by this he means its a bit heavier than the Blue he had tasted last night that he liked and said he'd drink. He easily gets a headache from most wines, so the easier on him the more he tends to like them. He says if the deal was just on the Brut alone he would not say he'd want to buy it. He normally prefers fruity wines, but not specific of the grape variety (strawberry, apple, etc) so he's more of a non-grapey fan than a grapes alone.

My interpretations so far:

The BRUT is a different animal. It's not the sister of the Cuvee, it's more like a cousin. I feel like it has enough similarities to be 'family' but stands out on it's own in different ways.

Mouth feel was like having the "Scrubbing Bubbles" commerical on tv in my mouth. More bubbly than the M, overall like my mouth was being scrubbed , tingles more than the M. I find less noticable bubble in the glass, more of it seems to be saved for the mouth. Tingle was good, lingering taste on the tongue, mostly middle to back of the 'grapey' taste that BH was reporting. I think it's a bit stronger in the fruit 'forward' than the M was (M was lighter, this is a bit heavier in thickness) but it isn't super heavy, just noticable between having one then the other. At this point, I'd say the 'citrus' taste was more prevelant.

Notes on the bottle mention Apple, which I think is what lingers on the back of the tongue, as if it's a hit of say, apple pie (non-spiced). I think I tasted more peach in the M than the Brut. Overall, I think the M was easier to drink when you weren't eating anything else, however the Brut might need something to balance out it's "weight" (it's a heavier hitter, it's like the difference between a light beer and a med beer, you notice the difference but it's not that extreme).

I decided to get some honey roasted peanuts to help bring out the nutty flavor that is hidden in the description listed. I did find that the sugar of the peanut covering didn't help, but the nutty flavor in general made it easier for me to associate with that taste in the wine, where as if you were at a bar it's possible all you'd have might be bar peanuts The honey taste of the nuts brought out the honey tinges of the wine, again, subtle but noticable. I will mention that the more of the nuts I ate, the stronger the honey taste from them started to highlight the honey affect in the wine. Many times what I describe are highlights of one flavor over another at one time, but none of them seem to dominate, very well balanced, and yes, a bit drier than the M from last night's sacrifical wine lamb.

After sitting some, I start to taste more peach and apple now, not quite as 'mouth cleaning' going on, but easier to handle, as if some of the weight has lifted by sitting in the glass some.

I do like this, and I think I'd have plenty times I'd find it a good suit. Maybe with a cobbler, helping bring some cooling to what might be an overly sugary sweet dessert. I think this would go well with say, pork chops? Perhaps that might be odd, but I think the flavor of it leads well to give a balance between the texture of the pork and the texture/flavors of the Brut. I wonder if this would do well baked in an Angel Food, but as I recall it's not a good one for having additives allow for rising of the dessert. Maybe as a side to it, say, an Angel Food with Chocolate syrup perhaps, and the Brut to match.

I wish I had some OJ to try making a mimosa out of, but I think it would go well if you wanted one that had a bit more 'bite' to it

Overall, I'm very happy that I got 2 of these orders, and I would have still been happy with another. I think having the variety will do well, and I could see over time how I might come to prefer the Brut over the M.

Thank you WD for the opportunity to be a labrat, and I do hope I didn't let anyone down!

(and I will say for the record I am a outward merlot lover, so I find that when I prefer something from "the other side of the fence" it's a big deal. I never figured I'd be a sparkly lover, but I have found that it's my one indulgence I have that allows me to mingle and drink when the party might only provide for those that do not have the refined tastes that I might be still developing. I love my merlot, but sparkling wine might just be that mistress I've been longing for My wines look best in a dark indulging red dress, but sometimes you gotta go gold and dazzle them!)

smartheart

While they are not as exceptional as expensive (ever-more expensive!) French bubbly--what is??--Mumm Napa sparklers are dependably enjoyable/delicious and offer good value for the money.....thus I ordered the max on Sunday night....question now is do I take another dive into the pool or wait and hope there's an additional variety of Mumm sparklers offered later tonight?

But it might not be Mumm tonight....or might be Mumm still wine. Better that I double up on this.

Because my wine.woot account is maxed out on the present offer, I'll have to gift an order to my friends George and Marion Kirby (and the bubbly-loving Neil), hoping they "share" it with me.

"Three be the things I shall never attain: Envy, content, and sufficient champagne."
--D. Parker

Winedavid39

smartheart wrote:While they are not as exceptional as expensive (ever-more expensive!) French bubbly--what is??--Mumm Napa sparklers are dependably enjoyable/delicious and offer good value for the money.....thus I ordered the max on Sunday night....question now is do I take another dive into the pool or wait and hope there's an additional variety of Mumm sparklers offered later tonight?

But it might not be Mumm tonight....or might be Mumm still wine. Better that I double (sextuple? as it is 3 bottle per order) up on this.

Because my wine.woot account is maxed out on the present offer, I'll have to gift an order to my friends George and Marion Kirby (and the bubbly-loving Neil), hoping they "share" it with me.

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